Blog split

I have decided to make a new blog. This one was supposed to be about cycling training and the places to ride in the Bay Area, but my hippie holier than thou stuff started seeping in, and there was some stuff that was just way off topic.

So I have started The Holier Than You Blog

holierthanthou was taken by someone who isn't blogging. Peak Everything indeed.

Riding in Marin

I have the week off, between jobs, so we headed up to Healdsburg Tuesday. My wife had some appointments so I went ahead on my bike.

Marin County has some good riding. It also has some very lousy, sketchy riding. Scenic, sure, but junk miles for training and sketchy. The problem is the lousy riding is in between San Francisco and the good riding further North. But I hate driving to the ride when I live in such a great place like the Bay Area where so much riding is so close. It's a waste and then there is always the day you drive to the ride, and forget your shoes. My biggest pet peeve is people who drive to group ride starts and then instead of us getting started, they have to change, pump their tires, check their headset, etc... When you ride out the door, you are ready to ride.

Tuesday I decided to solve the issue of both riding out the door, but skipping the Bridge/Sausalito/Mill Valley section of the trip to Marin (on weekdays the bridge can be extra sketchy as pedestrian tourists and cyclists share the same narrow pathway). I rode down Market St (sketchy, but in a "good way") to the Ferry building and took the ferry to Larkspur. 25 minutes and $4.70 (with my translink card) later I was in Larkspur. Along the way I got some fine scenery and had some snacks picked up on the way.


From Larkspur Ferry, follow the bike path West. There is a fork, follow it left over a wooden bridge and stay on the path to the end and onto a road. Follow the road to a T intersection, go left and you are on Magnolia in Kentfield.

I followed the remaining crappy miles through Ross, San Anselmo, and Fairfax and then rode up Whites Grade, to Nicasio over the little hill, then right on Lucas Valley and over that climb, and met my wife at Lucas Valley and 101. Wonderful riding, and now I'm in Healdsburg getting in some training and working in the garden.

Bike to Work Fast Day

Tomorrow August 7 is "Bike to Work Fast Day"

6:30 AM Ritual Roaster, SF. Ostensibly the destination is Google, though a few of us have alternate destinations along and beyond that route. There are a bunch of people from Google that started a ritual of riding along the peninsula from SF on a daily basis - this ride goes almost every day, definitely every Friday (Friday is "No Rider Left Behind" day). Sometimes the route goes down Skyline but more frequently the route is along the peninsula with a hybrid of random roads, parking lots, bike paths, and even a "Bridge to Nowhere" in Redwood City that involves riding through a field, up a dirt ramp onto the bridge, and down another dirt ramp that starts with a small dropoff.

One of the stronger riders is moving and threw down a challenge - break the record. If I read it right the record is one hour and 57 minutes of "rolling" time (measured on a bike computer that stops when you do, at lights/etc...). Probably the best way to calculate the "record" because at some point the only way to improve the record is to take unneccessary risks at stoplights.

Should be interesting and fun. And painful - the lineup is pretty strong despite 1 or 2 of the heavy hitters being out of the country.

Intermediate points -

Millbrae Ave/Old Bayshore - probably about 7:15
Redwood Shores/101 - 8 AM or so.

more details at groups.google.com/group/sf2g